For Blue Skies || Raelynn & Clyde
"How does this look?" Clyde was staring into his bathroom mirror, smoothing over a wrinkle in his shirt over and over. Making sure his clothes looked perfect was a task by itself. Clyde first had to buy said clothes, only to realize he didn’t have an iron, and then figured out later he required an ironing board also. Two paychecks later, he had everything he needed, and he couldn't figure out how to work the damn machine properly. Clyde’s eyes darted to Michelangelo in the mirror's reflection, frowning. Michael, in turn, was staring at him with his head tilted to the right. “Ugh," Clyde groans, unbuttoning the cobalt blue shirt. "You're right. She’ll hate it, bud. Laugh at me and tell me to turn around.” Clyde pulled it off and threw it to the side, exiting the bathroom. He grabbed his second choice, a pale yellow dress shirt and pulled it on.
Clyde reentered the bathroom, where Michael had climbed into the bathtub and was staring at him innocently. "Not supposed to be in there, lad. Out." Clyde ordered, but he simply put his head on the rim, staring at his owner in defiance. "Fine, fine. Don't pee in there again." With a tilt of his body, he was staring at himself in the mirror again. His curls were slightly less unruly today, brushed and pushed out of his face. The yellow shirt wrinkle-free and pleasant against his skin, tucked into black dress pants, which traveled down to meet the only decent pair of shoes he had ever owned. They were leather and shiny, putting together the nicest outfit in his wardrobe. He was worried it'd be far too dressy, but this night was about Raelynn- that's all that mattered. He wanted to look nice for her, and he knew she would like the effort.
Paint stained Clyde's hands and he scrubbed it out vigorously, staring at the clock that was visible from the bathroom doorway. It hung on his living room wall, sluggish clicks symbolizing how slow time was going. He still had an hour until he was going to Raelynn's hotel room, and he still couldn't wash the blue out of the beds of his nails. A small bark escaped Michelangelo's mouth and Clyde looked over, eyebrows furrowed. "What?" It was met with silence, suddenly turning into a staring contest between pet and owner. "Stop trying to kick me out. I have an hour." Michael just kept staring, causing Clyde to give up on the bit of color that was left. "You're right. Raelynn would probably think it was odd if there wasn't any paint on my hands."
Putting the lid of the toilet down, Clyde sat on it and watched Michael. The husky pushed closer to him, shoving his head into Clyde's lap. Smirking, Clyde lifted a hand and smoothed over his dog's soft fur. "I just want her to like this. I mean, what are dates anyway? What do you do?" Michael was used to these discussions and even though Clyde knew he would never respond, they were therapeutic. "She deserves the world, little man. What if I can't give that to her? God knows I've been a rotten arse and she shouldn't have to deal-" Clyde was interrupted by Michael's sudden yank of his head, ice blue eyes staring at him as if he was daring him to continue complaining. "Fine." Clyde grumbled, deciding he'd take that as his cue to leave. "You better not piss in the tub!"
Clyde's hands were shaking uncontrollably by the time he walked across the path to the hotel and his knees joined in when he knocked on her door. One hand smoothed over his curls, other gripped on the present he had for her. He was busy staring at the tiny scuff in his shoes when the door opened. When he looked up he could feel his mouth go slack, surprised by her appearance. It quickly pulled into a grin. "Hey, pretty girl." She looked gorgeous, wearing a cobalt blue dress that hugged her body in the best ways. He couldn't breathe, but felt like he was inhaling too much air all at the same time, everything was fuzzy but her, standing there in the most dizzying way possible. "I almost wore that color. We would have looked like we were going to prom or something. You look... You look gorgeous." Clyde remembered what was in his hand, hidden behind his back. "Oh! Here." A bouquet of white and blue peonies emerged, Clyde holding them out for her.
